Vienna Police Ban Demonstrations Supporting a Far-Right Government
Rally organized by the Austrian far-right group FairDenken group in 2023. X/ @Miracul31792832
November 28, 2024 Hour: 11:53 am
The demonstrations are organized by FairDenken, known for its large-scale and extreme protests during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, the Vienna Police Department prohibited two demonstrations planned for Saturday in the Austrian capital. These demonstrations were expected to attract hundreds of thousands of citizens calling for a new government led by the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), a far-right Eurosceptic group.
RELATED:
Austria: Far-Right ‘Freedom Party’ Wins First State Election in Styria
The banned demonstrations were organized by the extremist group FairDenken (Fair Thinking), known for its large-scale and extreme protests during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group claimed to anticipate around 1.4 million participants.
This would be a rescheduled action after the same group canceled a previous protest against the ongoing negotiations to form a new government following the legislative elections on September 29. These negotiations could potentially leave the FPÖ, despite being the most voted party with 28.8 percent of the vote, in opposition.
Negotiations are currently taking place between the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), and the New Austria and Liberal Forum (Neos).
The original date for the protest, November 9, sparked widespread outrage as it coincided with the anniversary of the “Night of Broken Glass” (Kristallnacht)—the pogrom against Jewish people and establishments on November 9, 1938.
Outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer, a conservative, expressed being “deeply dismayed” by the choice of date, which he described as a “slap in the face to the relatives of the victims.” In response to the backlash, the protest was postponed to November 30, coinciding with the first weekend of Advent, a period that marks the beginning of the bustling Christmas shopping season.
The police stated that the prohibition was based on a provision in the Assembly Act, which prioritizes the commercial rights of businesses and the need to maintain “uninterrupted traffic flow” in the city center over the demonstrators’ right to assemble. However, the organizers announced their determination to proceed with the demonstrations in support of FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl despite the ban.
“We’re giving it our all! We’ve already hired lawyers! Perhaps someone else should register the demonstration. If this isn’t approved either, we’ve decided to visit Vienna during Advent,” they said. According to the private television network Puls24, the FPÖ has so far not officially participated in mobilizing the protest.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
